PHRASAL VERBS/ PREPOSITIONS

Some of the soldiers refused to carry out the order of the king.

They carried out their work despite many hurdles.                                

Many of my friends did not turn    up   due to foul weather.

 A large number of people turned out   at the fair.  

He turned    down    an offer to go abroad.               

The driver turned off   the engine and got off the car.  

My father had decided to cut   down    expenses. 

He said that he was not cut    out     for such a life.

The secretary decided to put off   the meeting due to an emergency.

The government put down   the revolt with an iron hand.

We put   up  at the house of the village headman.

We had no choice but to put up with his peevish temperament.

He has put on  some weight and developed some complications.

I was told to put up the notice to inform the students of the annul function.

He forgot to put out the light and went off to sleep.

I took down what he said at the first meeting.

I stood on the roof watching the aircraft take off         .

The wizard took on   the form of an animal.

Maria takes   after    her mother.

The little boy had a cherubic face and I could not take my eyes  off   his face.

He stood alone near the gorge and took in   the beauty of the place.

He was taken   in   by a wicked person.

The teacher was looking for the answer scripts.

We have been taught not to look down upon the poor.

After she had taken up the second job, her career began to look up.      .

We looked upon him as our friend and guide.

We always looked up to him for support.

The women looked forward to the return of the heroes.

The distraught woman went everywhere looking for her son.

Every soldier is always ready to lay down his life.

The new management has decided to lay off some workers considered to be redundant.

As I climbed up the hill the little boy held  on  to me.The doctor held out no hope.

The sergeant held back the offending vehicle.

One of the speakers held forth on the subject of the emancipation of women.

The municipal workers pulled down the dilapidated building.

After the death of her husband, the woman had to pull on   with difficulty.

We stood on the platform watching the train pull into the station.

Though there were many hurdles, she finally managed to pull through.       .

The driver of the offending vehicle was let off with a fine.

The boy was brought up by his uncle.

The training brought about a change in his behaviour.

Merchant of Venice Questions and answers.

What did Portia say about mercy?

In reply to the question of Shylock why he should be compelled to show mercy to Antonio, Portia says that one shows mercy spontaneously and not out of a compulsion. According to her, it is a virtue that shows itself as spontaneously as the rain that drops from the sky to the ground on its own.  She opines that it is a virtue that brings out the inherent greatness of the person who shows it and proves beneficial to the person to whom mercy is shown. Then she says that the crown of the king and the scepter that he wields are indicative of his worldly powers, striking terror in the hearts of the subjects. But when he shows mercy, it shows the divine quality of the king.

What did the Duke say to Shylock at the beginning of Act four?

After the Duke had called Shylock, he played on his emotions, trying to make him soften his obdurate stand on the penalty of Antonio. He told him that the general opinion about him was that he would not be as tough as he appeared to be. He said that he would be expected to put on his act of cruelty till the end but when the actual time of execution would ripen, he would turn around in a dramatic manner. He would not only give up the demand for the penalty but also forgive the defendant Antonio a part of the principal amount of three thousand ducats. He would do it out of his sense of compassion and humanity that would be aroused by the severity of the miseries of the merchant. According to the duke, such a feeling of compassion was natural as the present condition of the merchant buffeted by misfortunes would arouse pity even in the stony and savage hearts of Turks and Tartars not known to be familiar with acts of kindness.

 What did Bassanio say referring to the words of the letter sent by Antonio? What did Bassanio say praising his friend?

In reply to Portia’s question, Bassanio said that the letter sent by Antonio was his body and the words were like the wounds inflicted on the body of his friend Antonio from which blood was oozing steadily.

Bassanio paid a glowing tribute to his friend Antonio, giving Portia an idea of his estimate of his friend. He said that he was well conditioned and did not ever fail to do acts of kindness. He was a man in whose character all the qualities of ancient Roman dignity coalesced (combined) more than any person alive.

Why did Antonio tell Salerio that the Duke could not prevent the law from taking its own course?

Antonio told Salerio that the Duke could not prevent the law from taking its own course due to some compulsions. According to him, the foreigners living in Venice were entitled to some privileges. Any attempt to deprive them of their right to justice would damage the credibility of the impartiality of the legal system prevailing in the city. Besides that the profits arising out of the transaction of trade in the city belonged to all the nations, thus strengthening their claim to justice.

What was Shylock’s warning to the Duke against denying justice to him?

Shylock warned the Duke of the danger looming large before the city of Venice. He said in a tone of severity that if he was denied justice, the freedom of the city of Rome would be Jeopardized (endangered) or any attempt to deny him justice would pose a threat to the freedom of the city of Venice.

What did Portia say about friendship referring to the one between Bassanio and Antonio?

Portia does not fail to take cognizance of the nature of friendship existing between Bassanio and Antonio. She  says that when two friends spend a great deal of time together, talking to each other, they should be understood to have been bound by a strong bond of love as their hearts are bound by ‘an equal yoke of love’ the way oxen are bound by a yoke. In sharing such a common bond of love their souls resemble each other in terms of their characteristics and behaviour.

TRANSFORMATION OF SENTENCES

ICSE ENGLISH lANGUAGE

The decision was criticized at the meeting of the elders. B: It

It was at the meeting of the elders that the decision was criticized.

The beggar stopped several times on the way while walking. B: The beggar could not

The beggar could not walk without stopping several times on the way.

“Are you feeling safe in this place in the midst of these treacherous people” said the stranger to me. B:  The stranger

The stranger asked me if I felt safe in that place in the midst of those treacherous people.

The show did not make an impression on my mind because of its cruelty. B: If

If the show did not make an impression on my mind it was because of its cruelty.

The gentleman made an inquiry of the place.He disappeared in a lane. He came out a little later. He became confused. Join the sentences.

The gentleman who made an inquiry of the place disappeared in a lane and by the time he came out he became confused.

The report indicated the growing strength of the organization. B: The report was

The report was an indication of the growing strength of the organization.

 At that hour the people went wild and rushed to the main square to greet the prince. B: That hour

That hour saw the people going wild and rushing to the main square to greet the prince.

You rather cut short your visit to spend time with these people.  Use ‘had’ in the sentence

You had better cut short your visit to spend your time with these people.

 The local administration restricted the movement of the foreign tourists. Use ‘put’

The local administration put restrictions on the movement of the foreign tourists.

We rejected their plea and made them aware of the situation.  B: The first thing

The first thing we did was to  reject their plea and make them aware of the situation.

You rather spend your time at this quiet retreat. Use ‘had’ in the sentence.

You had better spend your time at this quiet retreat. 

She cares for each member of the family. Complete the sentence with a tag

.

She cares for each member of the family, doesn't she?

We applied a new method but we could not become successful. B: Despite

Despite the application of a new method we could not be successful.

They say that she has nursed the wounded soldiers. B: She is

She is said to have nursed the wounded soldiers.

As soon as the men saw the carriage of the prince, they began to dance. B: No sooner

No sooner did the men see the carriage of the prince than they began to dance.

Rupan has not seen the man. His brother has not seen it. Join the sentence.

Neither Rupan nor his brother has seen it.

The student worked hard and he became successful. B: Had

Had the student not worked hard, he would not have become successful.

The scientist was dedicated to his researches and he became famous.  End with ‘fame’.

It was  his dedication to his researches that earned the scientist fame.

“Why are wasting your time here?” said the teacher to the student. B: The teacher

The teacher asked the student why he was wasting his time there.

All the villagers were meticulously evacuated to a safe place. B: Each

Each of the villagers was meticulously evacuated to a safe place.

When the child saw the moving shadow, he panicked. Use ‘sight’.

The child panicked at the sight of the moving shadow.

Pointing to the flag fluttering in the air, the soldier collapsed. B: The soldier did not

The soldier did not collapse before he had pointed to the flag fluttering in the air.

A series of meetings were held and then a committee was formed. B: A series

A series of meetings led to the formation of a committee.

The candidate proved his patience and got a certificate from the examiners. B: The candidate succeeded

The candidate succeeded in getting a certificate from the authorities by proving his patience.

 “I talk to the trees every day”, says Mudra.  “The old ones are very wise”.

Mudra says that she talks to the trees every day and adds that the old ones are very wise.

I will make him offer an apology. B: He will be

He will be made to offer an apology.

The executive worked for five hours continuously and felt tired. B: The continuous work

The continuous work of five hours left the executive tired.

Finally both the neighbours sorted out their differences and laughed at the history of their mistakes. B: Both the neighbours laughed 

Both the neighbours laughed at the history of their mistakes after they had finally sorted out their differences.